September was a big month for our quickly growing Nile hippo calf. He got a name, explored new spaces and tried new foods. One thing didn’t change for young Omo, though: his love for naps.
Join Water’s Edge: Africa keeper, Grace, for an update on our two-month-old calf, and hear about how Omo’s following in mom’s footsteps literally and figuratively. Zambezi is a confident hippo, and her little boy is showing signs he’ll be just the same!
Today is #WorldGorillaDay! Here to help us celebrate are Primate World keeper, Carrie, and our Western lowland gorilla troop: 29-year-old Kwisha, 45-year-old Roxie, 40-year-old Juju, 28-year-old Asha and our silverback, 30-year-old Goma.
World Gorilla Day isn’t just about celebrating these incredible animals, but also about protecting them for years to come. Western lowland gorillas are critically endangered, and their numbers continue to decrease in the wild. In addition to disease and poaching, a threat they face in the wild is loss of habitat due to logging for agricultural use, human settlements and mining. Many of the west African lowland forests and swamps that these animals call home are also natural deposits of coltan, a mineral used in cell phones and other electronics. Due to the ever-increasing demand for cell phones across the world, the destruction of these gorillas’ habitats for mining purposes has unfortunately only increased.
There is, however, something we all can do to help! Coltan is recyclable, and by donating your old cell phones, you can help supply valuable coltan for future phone production. Here in the Primate World building, we have a new cell phone recycling collection bin. When guests visit, they can drop off their old and unused cell phones in the bin, and we will send them to Eco-Cell, an organization that recycles the phones, as well as tablets, smart watches, Bluetooth devices, GPS devices, e-readers, digital cameras, handheld gaming systems and their accessories.
Since installing the box in July of this year, we have collected 194 electronic devices, all of which will be sent to Eco-Cell to be recycled! If you have any old devices please consider bringing them to the Zoo on your next visit. We will be collecting phones in this bin in Primate World every day. Thanks again for celebrating World Gorilla Day with us, and for supporting Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, where every visit is conservation in action.
Gidgee’s joey has been making more appearances out of the pouch, and it’s time to reveal his name! As a nod to wallabies’ native Australia, we named our newest joey Tim Tam (Tim, for short), after a popular cookie there.
At 7 months old, he has grown his full coat, and has begun popping out of mom’s pouch for quick zoomies, or to explore small bits of the grass of the wallaby yard. It usually isn’t long before he’s somersaulting back into mom’s pouch. We expect him to continue popping in and out of mom’s pouch for another two months, or until mom decides it’s time for him to move out.
The #CMZoo staff votes are in, and it’s time to reveal the name of our baby hippo! Keepers set up an extra-special breakfast of carrots, oranges and hay for Zambezi in the shape of her calf’s new name. As we show you the video in reverse, his name will be revealed!
Following the theme of the names of his mom, Zambezi, and aunt, Kasai, the calf was named after a river in Africa. The seasonal flooding of this river is vital for food cultivation by the indigenous groups that live along it. Water conservation is an important focus of Water’s Edge: Africa, and our hope is that the calf’s name will help us share these stories with guests and inspire them to take action to save water.
Next time you visit the Zoo, be sure to say hello to….watch the video to find out the name!
Zambezi’s mini-me is learning how to hippo! At eight weeks old, the little calf is still nursing, but that doesn’t stop him from attempting to eat hay, just like mom. The pair have been spending more time on land, both early in the morning and late in the afternoon. Hippo-ing is a lot of work when you’re a little guy, so naps are required in between bouts of mimicking mom. We’re loving his signature sleepy ‘plop!’
As a celebration of all the hard work and dedication our employees put in every day, Zoo management has decided to give the honor of naming the calf to our staff. We’re in the final stages of choosing that name, and we will share it with you, as soon as it’s final!
Happy International Vulture Awareness Day! Today, keepers Brooke and Michelle are spending time with Godric and Hedwig, our Cape griffon vultures, and Nesher, our Eurasian griffon vulture. Cape Griffon vultures are endangered with declining populations, but Eurasian Griffon vultures are of least concern and are increasing in the wild. Vultures are extremely important parts of their ecosystems, and serve as an indicator of the health of the environment below them. Measuring the health of vultures is a great way to measure the overall health of the food chain below them.
Many of the challenges that vultures face in the wild are man-made. Accidental power line collisions are a major issue for these birds. Poachers will also sometimes poison the meat of illegal kills to prevent vultures from flying above the carcasses and revealing their location to rangers. Loss of habitat is also causing a decline in these powerful birds, as it means fewer resources for these birds to live off of.
While these dangers are man-made. not all human intervention is bad for these birds. We are proud that Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s guests help fund the operations of VulPro through Quarters for Conservation, which is funded by your 75¢ contribution every time you visit the Zoo. VulPro is a South African-based conservation program that works to save Africa’s vultures through rehabilitation efforts, captive breeding programs, research and education.
Since November 2020, VulPro has rescued 59 vultures, most of which were victims of power line collisions and starvation. One of their rising concerns is the impact of wind farms on vulture populations, as they are beginning to see more vultures and raptors injured or killed by collisions with turbines. One especially memorable rescue occurred in May this year, when an African white-backed vulture had its head and beak stuck in a piece of old pvc pipe. When the VulPro team rescued the bird, he was malnourished and dehydrated, and his tongue was damaged where the pipe had cut into it. The vulture stayed at the Vulpro facility until it recovered, and was released back into the wild on June 1.
VulPro’s hope is to inspire people to protect these iconic species. Thank you for celebrating International Vulture Awareness Day with us at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, where every visit is conservation in action.
Join us for a 5-week check-in with our beloved baby boy hippo. He and his mom, Zambezi, continue to bond well, and have even been exploring the main hippo yard together. Little baby hippo is weighing in at more than 160 pounds now! He’s gaining about a pound a day.
He’s also starting to grow his tusks and is beginning to interact with his keeper team. Water’s Edge: Africa lead keeper, Phil, fills us in on the latest from the hippo building, where baby and Zambezi have been joining him for afternoon meals daily.
The team is working on choosing a name for the baby hippo, and we’ll share that as soon as we can.
Do you know our two emus, Dora and Damian? These two ‘really big birds’ live in Australia Walkabout, near the wallaby yard. Join Australia Walkabout Keeper, Bruce, to learn about the unique personalities, backgrounds and features of these flightless feathered friends, then watch the two enjoy a summertime cooldown in a nice mud wallow.
Napping can be tough when you have a newborn! Zambezi is clearly a great mom, always keeping a watchful eye on her little one in between quick winks. Her 3-and-a-half week old calf is great at power napping right alongside her, when not exploring his new, great big world. Once Zambezi decides that naptime is over, the pair enter the water and swim off to their preferred nursing spot. A mother’s work is never done.
Ladies and gentlemen, the time has arrived for the baby hippo sex reveal! Water’s Edge: Africa Lead Keeper, Philip, is joined by the calf’s father, Biko, to mark the special occasion. The commissary team at #CMZoo prepared a special treat for the 18-year-old hippo dad; a watermelon with the insides dyed with animal-safe food coloring to indicate the sex of the baby. What color will it be? Watch this for the ‘smashing’ reveal!
